Ordinary Heroes
by Sora532
Summary: The life and times of Wigglytuff's Guild members and Treasure Town's various inhabitants told snippet by snippet. Chapter 1: Whoever said that first meetings were always the toughest were clearly mistaken.
1. Meeting

**Meeting**

"Are you okay? What happened?" A female voice asked.

_Huh? Whose voice is this? __Gotta open my eyes if I wanna find out. _Bright light blinded the now conscious figure's vision as it shook its head to regain its composure.

"Mom?" it questioned, its relatively deep voice establishing that it was male. He was still blinded by the light so he couldn't tell by appearance.

"Not quite." The feminine voice sounded amused now.

The figure was tempted to look towards the source now that light had dimmed to a bearable level but wanted to guess right before checking.

"Dad?"

Immediately, he felt pain at the top of his head as he was hit by what felt to him as a paw. He groaned in pain. _Great, I haven't even said three words to the person and I've already managed to piss her off._

"Do I sound like a male to you?" she huffed indignantly.

He had the audacity to turn around and look at the speaker before attempting to say something. The words were caught in his mouth as he found himself staring into pools of milky chocolate. It took a lot of his inner strength to tear his eyes away from hers. He carefully roved over her, taking in her appearance. The speaker was clearly a Vulpix. It was obvious from the red-orange pelt to the bangs and locks of fur on her head, plus her six tails.

"Hey, are you okay? You look kinda dazed," she asked. When he offered no answer, she continued, "Do you remember how you ended up here unconscious?"

He shook his head.

"Not a clue, huh? That's too bad," she said, her visage becoming somber.

_How did I end up here, anyways? _He wondered. Before he could think about it any longer, the Vulpix snapped him out of his musings.

"Anyway, my name is Light. Great to meet you!" she smiled brightly, her countenance having shifted back to its original state. "And who are you? I've never seen you around before."

"That's because I'm a human," he replied absentmindedly. _There's no way a Vulpix is talking! This stuff just doesn't happen!_

"A human?" said Light, taken aback. He nervously watched as she walked around him, regarding him carefully. She reminded him of a predator surveying its prey before the pounce. "You look like a totally normal Pikachu to me," she stated after a minute of silently staring at him.

Thinking that she was messing with him even with her constant insistence, he disbelievingly pinched his furry arm.

Wait a minute.

Furry arm?

"What the hell!" the Pikachu exclaimed as he scrambled to his feet. "How did this happen?"

"...You're kinda weird," Light admitted when the Pikachu eventually calmed down and stood in front of her nervously, shifting his weight from leg to the other. "Are you sure you're not trying to trick me?"

The Pikachu glared at her as he practically hissed out a 'no'. His eyes clearly showed his nervousness and confusion at being thrust into a new world lacking memories of his previous life other than the fact that he was once a human.

"Right," Light sounded apologetic and so Pikachu let it go for the moment. "Now, how about your name?"

"My name is..." Pikachu wracked his brain for his name before one word came to the forefront of his mind. "...Zack. My name is Zack." Zack's face split into a grin. At least he could remember his name. That was one less thing he would be straining his memory for.

She returned the smile, "At least you don't seem to be a bad Pokémon." She then bowed her head and apologized for doubting him. Once hearing that Zack took no offense, Light went on to explain how bad Pokémon have been popping up in ever-growing numbers. As though to prove her point, Zack noticed two Pokémon rush Light from behind. The resulting crash sent her hurtling into him, knocking something inside of her small waist sack into the sand.

"Well, excuse me," the bat Pokémon, a Zubat as Light pointed out, huffed.

"What'd you do that for?" Light demanded as she staggered to her feet.

"Isn't it obvious?" Zubat's accomplice, a Koffing, asked condescendingly. "We wanted to mess with you. Can't face up to us, wimpy?"

Zack scowled. These two were nothing more than bullies in Pokémon form and weren't worth his time.

"Sh-Shut up!" Light snapped at the duo.

"That's yours, isn't it?" Zubat gestured to the item in the sand, ignoring Light's comment. Before Light or Zack could do anything, Koffing had already picked it up and stored it away. "What? Not even gonna try to get your item back? I didn't think you'd be such a big coward. Talk about pathetic," he shook his head, feigning sadness. "Come on, Koffing. Let's go. Catch ya' 'round, chicken," Zubat smirked at Light as he and Koffing headed into the cave.

Light sighed miserably. "What should I do, Zack? That item, it means everything to me." Tears began to form in her eyes. "If I lose it, I'll..."

Zack eyed her and empathy welled up inside him. "Come on, we're gonna get your item back." Light immediately looked at Zack with a hopeful look, mixed with relief and gratitude. "Come on, time to move!" Zack and Light didn't waste any more time and rushed straight into the cave that the two poison types had entered.

Inside the cave, Zack noted that Light was not an especially confident battler and was quick to avoid the enemies that appeared, often leaving them to him. Zack had little idea what he was doing, for he had never battled before.

Watching Zack flail around, Light shouted out a piece of advice. "Zack, try channeling energy to your cheeks!"

Zack did as he was told, and his cheeks emitted a jolt of electricity, unintentionally knocking over a nearby Corsola. "Sweet!" Zack grinned as he hurled another jolt at an unfortunate Kabuto nearby. Light, amused, was giggling to herself as they proceeded.

Reaching the deepest part of the cave, the two Pokémon looked around, trying to find the pair of thieves. "There they are," Zack whispered, spotting them. "Now go get your item back," he whispered to Light giving her a gentle nudge forward. She scowled at him before taking a deep breath and yelling, "Hey!"

The two poison types turned around, startled. Koffing was the first to recover and he chuckled, "Well, well, well, if it isn't our buddy, the big chicken!"

Zack decided to intervene, "That's enough! Give us back that item or you're gonna regret it!"

"Oh look, Koffing!" said Zubat in mock excitement. "Looks like the chicken has a boyfriend!" Koffing snorted in amusement.

"Shut up and give me my personal treasure! It means everything to me!" Light shouted.

Zack cringed at her thoughtlessness. _Gah! Why'd she tell them that it was her personal treasure?_

"Treasure, you say?" questioned Zubat, now interested.

"Oh ho ho! If this thing can fetch a good price, then all the more reason to not give it back!" Koffing stated while examining the item.

"If you want it that badly, then come and get it," Zubat taunted.

Light looked down, discouraged. Zack placed a paw on her forepaw and said, "We can handle these guys. As long as we work together, right?" Zack's determined expression filled Light with hope, and she began to think that the inevitable battle was one in which they could come out victorious.

Looking at the pair of poison types, Zack started cackling madly, drawing their attention toward him. The wink he sent Light was all the indication she needed for what he wanted her to do. As Zack continued to dodge attacks, taunt the thieves, and send the occasional counterattack when they got a little too close for comfort. He decided to poke some more fun at them for picking on Light.

"Come on big boys, come and get me. I know you want me," Zack sent the two poison types daring grin and...wait a second...was Zack winking at them?

Light watched with barely concealed laughter as steam erupted from Koffing's pores and Zubat despite the blue leathery skin had achieved a rather fetching blush before mentally kicking herself. She silently snuck up on Zubat and hit him with a Faint Attack.

"How dare you! I got first dibs on the rat!" Zubat snapped at Koffing who scowled and protested for his innocence. The two began fighting each other.

Zack and Light watched on as the two crooks admitted defeat and fled like the cowards they were and dropped Light's treasure in the process.

"Way to go, Light!" Zack cheered. Red tinted Light's cheeks as she picked up her treasure and led the way back to the beach.

"Whew," Light heaved a sigh of relief as she and Zack emerged from the cave. "I actually managed to get my Relic Fragment back, and it's all thanks to you, Zack." He saw small pearly tears form at the corners of her eyes and decided to redirect the conversation to less awkward waters. He may have lost his memory, but he didn't need that to know that he would feel very uncomfortable with a sad Light on his paws. Thankfully, it didn't come to that as Light's demeanor abruptly brightened and she vigorously thanked him, over and over again.

_I only did it because I was there,_ Zack thought. _Was it the right thing to do?_ He grinned. _If her reaction is any indicator, then I guess so._ Then another question came to mind. "What exactly was it they were trying to steal from you anyways?" Zack asked.

Light pulled out the aforementioned item and showed it to him. "It's my Relic Fragment," she explained and then added, "At least that's what I started calling it."

"And this your precious treasure because..." Zack trailed off.

"You see," Light began, embarrassment edging into her voice, "I've always been interested in legends, folklore, and the like." Zack noticed the light in Light's eyes as she spoke about her passion. "I always get excited when I hear legends about far-off places filled with treasures the likes of which we've never seen! Don't you feel the same way?" Light gushed. Zack shrugged. Light paid it no mind as she continued to ramble aimlessly about uncharted territories shrouded in mystery, far-off lands consumed by darkness, making historically defying discoveries, and exploring in all of its glory. The way Light had described it made the idea of becoming an explorer all the more appealing. "So one day I came across this Relic Fragment and I know it looks like a piece of junk but look!" Light pointed to the flat side of the Relic Fragment. Located on the fragment was the most intricate symbol Zack had ever laid eyes upon.

"It's true, I've never seen this kind of pattern anywhere before… as far as I can remember, anyway," Zack admitted.

"See? I think it might be the key to something important! Just the thought makes my insides squirm in excitement!" She explained, letting out a squeal. Zack noticed her expression darken as she explained how she had wanted to become an exploration team member but couldn't make past the sentry's post at Wigglytuff's Guild.

"I chickened out," she admitted sadly, shifting her weight on her paws. "What about you, Zack? What are you going to do? I mean, you told me you'd lost your memory and somehow became a Pokémon, right?" Zack couldn't help but smile as Light's tone took on a concerned edge. She really was one of a kind. "Do you have anywhere to go or a place to stay after this?" Zack remained silent. "If not, then could I ask a big favor?" Light asked.

Zack noticed her slightly abashed expression warning him something strange was about to be asked of him. "What's the favor?" Zack questioned, curious of what she would want from him.

"Would you be willing to form an exploration team with me?" Light inquired meekly. "I felt like we'd make a really good team, especially when your battling gave me the courage to keep on fighting. So please?" Light asked, increasingly desperate. "Will you?"

Zack was taken aback by the offer. _I haven't even been here a day yet and I've already made a huge impact on someone. _He allowed himself to grin inwardly. _N__ice one, Zack._ "Are you...trying to draft me, or something?" Zack challenged.

"Well, I am a complete coward," Light admitted, "but I won't try to force you to form a team with me."

To Zack, he had to make a choice: he could either spend his days wandering this new world or he could team up with Light and maybe find out how he had gotten there and maybe even get him back?

It was a no-brainer.

"Alright then, I'll join you." Zack nodded, smiling as he watched Light's timid and nervous expression morph into one that radiated joy.

"We're gonna make a great exploration team. Let's make this work, Zack!" Zack and Light grinned at each other and struck a determined pose before they set off for Wigglytuff's Guild.

**Author's Notes:**

**I don't own Pokemon nor am I making any money off this.**

**So...how should I explain this? Well, it all started when I decided to start a new save file in Explorers of Sky. I had imagined some of the scenes had potential to be comical and so when I'm not doing anything especially important I find myself daydreaming about how I could make those scenes more amusing and more often than not the end result of these daydreams leads into starange mix of humor (hopefully) some form of romance (maybe?) and load of other stuff I won't bother to name. **

**I also would like to thank Flamehazealbion MK II for beta-reading and making this story a little less terrible with every chapter...**

**As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews, Comments, and Suggestions are all welcomed. **


	2. Fireworks

**Fireworks**

Life had been going well for the Kecleon Bros. ever since Team Paradigm had rescued young Azurill. Azurill and his brother Marill had been coming by more frequently with news that their ailing mother had been recovering. How could it possibly get better? Oh, if only they knew...

The Green Kecleon was setting up shop for the day while the Purple one had been in the back room for a while. What the hell was he up to?

Meanwhile, the purple Kecleon was doing some inventory in the back.

"Looks like we're low on Oran berries," he signed as he checked the bucket. As he rummaged around for another box, something else caught his eye.

A big something.

A lot of big something.

"What is this?" The purple Kecleon muttered as he peered at the white cloth covering it. How he would so love to pull it off and see what was inside.

Glancing over his shoulder, he could tell that his brother wasn't coming back here anytime soon. What could possibly go wrong?

Right?

With that last thought, the Purple Kecleon yanked the sheet off and his eyes widened at what he saw.

What was it he saw? The Purple Kecleon wasn't entirely sure what it was but he couldn't investigate further when he heard footsteps behind him.

"So you found my stash huh?" the Green Kecleon's voice stated from close behind him.

"Stash? What stash?" the purple one asked, genuinely curious.

"Don't act dumb. I'm not mad that you found my stash of fireworks. In fact, I've been wondering where I had put them for awhile," he admitted. The Kecleon brothers took a moment of silence to admire the green Kecleon's admirable collection of fireworks. Where he got them? Who knows?

"Fireworks. What are fireworks?" the Purple Kecleon asked curiously.

All of a sudden, his brother's eyes seemed to shining like sunlight and he launched into his explanation. Apparently fireworks were a class of explosive devices that are supposed to be entertaining when they are lit. As the green Kecleon continued his explanation, the purple one listened on in excitement. The way his brother had described it made fireworks sound almost magical.

So much so that the purple Kecleon almost begged for them to do a show.

The green one eagerly agreed but stated that it would happen at night because the fireworks looked way cooler at night. How he knew this was purely up to conjecture but the purple Kecleon had a sneaking suspicion that he had done this before without telling anyone and he found himself frowning in indignation. _He couldn't wake me up and show me this sooner?!_

With that thought in mind, the two set about their day idly mentioning the fireworks. After all why keep for themselves when they'd surely look better with a large audience. This seemed to get the Pokemon excited as they claimed that it has been ages since the last one and they genuinely looked forward to this one.

"Hey Kecleon!" The Kecleon Brothers looked up at their names and saw Team Paradigm rushing toward them.

"Zack and Light, it's been awhile," the Green Kecleon grinned as they came to stop in front of them.

"Yeah, it's been awhile," the Pikachu acknowledged, trying to catch his breath but then his face turned frantic. "Have you got Reviver seeds today?" They were both panting, clearly having run all the way here in rush of either sugary berries or excitement. Kecleon was betting on the latter. The guild generally didn't put pecha berries in their members' food but Team Paradigm did have a stock in storage...

Light was quick to explain, "The guild assigned us our first solo exploration today and we wanna make sure we're prepared for anything."

"Sure thing," the Green one chuckled as he headed into the back room. A few seconds later he was back with two Reviver seeds in hand.

Once Zack, Light, and the Kecleon Bros. had finished their transaction, the Pikachu and Vulpix made to leave after the two brothers offered a word of congratulations on getting their first solo exploration but only an exclamation from the Purple Kecleon stopped them.

"Can you two tell everyone at the guild that there's gonna be a huge fireworks show tonight here?" he requested.

"Sure!" Light agreed immediately. She was clearly excited about the thought of a fireworks display. "We'll make sure everyone knows. Come on, Zack!"

The Kecleon bros watched in barely concealed amusement as Light dragged a confused Zack off with her mouth. They both clearly thought that Zack was whipped by Light. He didn't stand a chance.

The day dragged on for the purple Kecleon because he couldn't wait to set off the fireworks and the lack of customers that day did nothing to distract him from that stash of fireworks.

Thankfully, his patience was rewarded when the sun finally set.

"I know you've been dying to do this, bro," The green Kecleon grinned as his brother dug through the various types of fireworks: Roman candles, fountains, rockets, mines among the many others with a small fuse. It was a good thing that they had told Officer Magnazone beforehand. Who knows what would have happened otherwise.

They had decided to test out one of each type of rocket just to see what would happen and to fine tune their plan. With permission, they borrowed some fire burning on either side of the guild for their test and ignited the slow burning fuse just to see what would happen.

Far from the explosion of light that green Kecleon had described, the rocket exploded in a flash of fire and covered both Kecleon brothers in ash and soot. "Looks like we're gonna need to rig the rockets a little better," the green one mused. The purple one fell to the ground comically.

Thankfully, the rest of the fireworks that the green Kecleon had stashed away worked just fine with the rigged fuse and created a veritable shower of colorful sparks on par with what the green Kecleon had described to his brother.

As it turned out, word of a fireworks display had spread like wildfire and the residents of Treasure Town decided to create an impromptu festival.

Unfortunately, a sudden powerful gust of wind dispelled their fire and left them swearing quietly. _How the heck are we gonna get an ignition system to set off those rockets now? It's not like the guild is willing to led us another fire to use..._

* * *

**Meanwhile, at Wigglytuff's Guild:**

"A fireworks display!" said everyone in unison as Zack recounted everything that happened. He had even picked up a flyer he had found after he and Light returned from their exploration of Waterfall Cave.

"Apparently they're having a little festival in town because of it," Zack added, glancing at the flyer. Everyone else launched into eager conversation about the festival and how everyone was keen on going.

Except for Chatot. _That damn Chatot just couldn't let go of his_ pride,Zack rolled his eyes.

"We are not going to a festival this late at night," he stated firmly as he was met with vehement protest. "We are a 1st class guild and I refuse to risk losing that reputation just because we decided to stay up all night and not get any work done the next morning." Chatot had a...somewhat reasonable point but the guild members had a secret weapon.

That's right.

Enter Wigglytuff.

"But I wanna go to the festival!" Wigglytuff complained. "Why can't we all be friendly friends and go see the festival?" Chatot never stood a chance against the kicked growlithe look that Wigglytuff sent him. Chatot gave in. Zack grinned.

_I wonder if there's something going on with Chatot and the Guildmaster_, Zack mused, grinning and then shook his head disgustedly at the mental image. He did NOT need to see that!

* * *

When the guild members arrived, the festival was already in full swing. They could see exploration teams examining the stalls that were shops by day and activity oases by night.

As all the Pokemon mingled and had fun. The Kecleon Bros were setting up the final touches to their system.

"We've got every kind of large scale firework possible," the green one grinned before frowning.

"What's wrong bro?" the purple one asked, looking up from prepping the rockets.

"We're missing something," he muttered, eyes gazing over the setup.

"What could that be?" the purple Kecleon reflected. "We have all the fireworks, we've made sure that they're set up safely, we've rigged them to go off in a specific order, we have fuses..." He trailed and it hit him.

"We have no way to ignite the fuse," they said together. They sat in contemplation for several minutes and when they were about ready to give up when two voices brought the answer they needed. Not so much what they were saying but more of who they belonged to.

"Wait up, Zack!" Light shouted as she tried to keep up with an excited Zack who had gone from stall to stall, checking out all the games and food.

"This is so cool!" Zack stated as Light caught up and the Kecleon Bros knew it was now or never.

"Zack! Light!" The two Pokemon look over in surprise and approached when the Kecleon brothers called them over.

"Is this fireworks display?" Zack asked, eyes hovering over the neatly set up fireworks.

"Yeah," they replied in unison. "But we have a bit of a problem."

"And that is..." Zack asked.

"We have no way to ignite the fuse," the green one said sadly.

"No problem!" Zack exclaimed, slapping Light on the back. "Light here is the pyro queen! I'm sure she could help you guys out!"

A faint pink dusted Light's cheeks at Zack's praise, "I'm not as good as Zack makes me out to be but if I can help out then I will."

"Thanks Light!" said the Kecleon Bros happily as the four of them ironed out a plan. Light would ignite the fuse on the Kecleon's call and watch in amazement as the fireworks went off.

Zack glanced around and saw that the Pokemon had gathered about 15 meters away and were waiting eagerly for the show to start. He didn't blame them. The way Light had described them made it seem surreal to him and he was just as excited to see it as everyone else.

"Looks like the rest of the Pokemon are starting to take their seats," Zack commented.

Once they were certain everyone was there, the green Kecleon gave the following disclaimer: "What ever you do! Please, don't try this at home! Leave it to the experts!" After stating the disclaimer, the Kecleon brothers gave the signal and Light ignited the fuse by shooting a small ember which then set off several rockets in unison.

Everyone watched as they flashed neon colors and swirled around each other before exploding into a flash of various Pokemon like Phanpy, Eevee, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, and Riolu.

Zack and Light watched with bright eyes when the fireworks fountain roared to life and released a veritable shower of sparks that glowed a whole variety of colors.

After the fountain, the Kecleon brothers had decided on Roman candles. Five of them to be exact and when Light ignited the fuse released a large continuous stream of green and red sparks that shone brightly. Everyone was watching the veritable display eagerly.

After the Roman candles, the Kecleon bros reverted to the rockets.

As they all shot up into the sky, Zack watched as each exploded and grinned at the uncanny resemblance to his friends at the guild and was beaming at their poses.

Loudred and Sunflora were holding hands...or hand and leaf.

Bidoof and Corphish were jumping up and down while Chimecho, Diglett, and Dugtrio were laughing happily.

Croagunk was sitting moodily as per usual while Chatot was sitting calmly and Wigglytuff was dancing.

Zack glanced at his guild mates to see that the fireworks mirrored his friends' expressions exactly.

He was disturbed now.

Sure enough, Sunflora and Loudred were mumbling sweet nothings to each other while Corphish and Bidoof were jumping up and down as they watched each firework go boom with Chimecho, Diglett, and Dugtrio laughing along with them. Croagunk was bored but Zack knew better. Meanwhile, Chatot sat atop Wigglytuff who was dancing happily while both of them watched in awe.

"Now for the grand finale," the Kecleon Bros grinned as they fired their last batch of rockets.

Zack and Light stared in shock and awe as they saw themselves in the fireworks with the Pikachu wrapping an arm his Vulpix partner who was smiling brightly while snuggling in his side.

Zack and Light sent a mild half glare at the Kecleon Bros while everyone demanded they do what the fireworks had displayed.

After a bit of encouragement, Team Paradigm gave in and imitated their firework selves and got several aww's from the crowd.

Everyone gave a standing ovation to the Kecleon Bros who were the masterminds behind the fireworks and everyone started chanting before the crowd finally began to disperse.

"We should definitely do that again," the purple Kecleon grinned as his brother.

"It's a good thing I have more," his brother grinned back.

**First and foremost, I'd like to apologize for the vast delay in this chapter. My beta and I have been busy taking on the challenges of life and all that good stuff. I know this isn't a good excuse for not posting another chapter in the past two months but that's really all I can offer and time tends to get the better of us when we're busy. Anyway, as for the chapter...I said in the summary that it would center around Wigglytuff's Guild as well as Treasure Town so making the Kecleon brothers pyromaniacs (sort of) was fair game...even though it was never indicated in the game.**

**Moving on! **

**The idea for this prompt was inspired by a number of triggers such as what would Treasure Town think of fireworks and then BAM this idea and plot formed in my head gradually and stuff happened. Still I'm not entirely happy with the humor in this because it was severely lacking but it was kinda hard being that the most that I could do was incorporate unintentionally cartoon-styled explosions, so yeah...**

**As for Zack and Light's team name: Team Paradigm. The general idea was that Light would under go a change in mindframe and become more confident as the story progress (i.e. a Paradigm Shift) and shifting paradigms tends to be very helpful in a battle...**

**Thanks for reading and hopefully, I'll come up with better material for the next chapter. So until then. See ya!**


	3. Friendly Fire

Friendly Fire

Snap.

"Shoot," Zack muttered under his breath as he accidentally snapped a twig.

Zack's muscles tensed as he rushed for a nearby bush. He could tell that Loudred had heard his misstep and his fears were confirmed when he heard a stomping noise coming in his direction.

"I know you're there...Zack," said Loudred, chucking darkly.

Zack could feel his heart race and knew he had to get out of there or else it was game over. If anyone were to ask Zack's opinion on Loudred, he would probably describe him as a vicious beast and a force to be reckoned with. With that though in mind, the Pikachu released a small bolt of electricity enough stun his pursuer briefly before using Quick Attack to escape.

Wait a minute. Zack and Loudred were friends so why were they fighting each other? Shouldn't they be rescuing Pokemon, capturing outlaws, and making discoveries that would make them heroes? It was all because theirs and the rest of the guild members' situation.

How did they get involved in this situation? That was all Wigglytuff and Chatot's fault.

It all started that morning during the guild's usual morning briefing...

* * *

"WHAT!" A collective exclamation could be heard from inside the guild. All the apprentices stood in shock, eyes looking from Chatot to Wigglytuff and then to each other.

"You can't be serious!" said Light incredulously. Sunflora and Chimecho nodded vigorously, sharing the Vulpix's sentiments.

"That's right," Chatot began. "The Guildmaster and I believed that it would be to your advantage to participate in this exercise." What exercise was Chatot talking about anyway? It couldn't be that bad could it?

"Exercise! Hey, hey, this is essentially sending us to war! And against each other!" Corphish protested.

"It's not a war!" Chatot protested. "It's an exercise in survival! Think about it! What if you get separated from your friends while your exploring? If you can't keep calm and battle on your own, then you're done for."

The silence was deafening.

And then Chimecho probably came up with the most brilliant idea ever.

"Why don't we turn this into a game of sorts," she suggested. "Why don't you give each of us a treasure of sorts and we have to guard it while trying to get everyone else's treasures. The winner will have to get all the treasures and return to the guild."

The others seemed more keen on Chimecho's interpretation and Wigglytuff was quick to chime in his agreement. What could he say? He was a sucker for games.

"Now that we have everyone's cooperation," Chatot announced, "Let me read you the rules."

They turned out to be fairly straightforward: No items other than whatever they have equipped at the beginning of the challenge. No cheap shots. No alliances. And of course, no extreme attacking such as berserk after knocking out the foe.

"All right then!" Chatot chirped, "Please form a single-file line in front of me so you can each collect a treasure."

Zack had, at the time, been wearing his Orange Bow and Chatot had given him a Reviver Seed then gestured for him to stand next to the ready guild members.

Once everyone had gotten their treasures, Chatot called his mark and everyone set off.

"Let's do this," Zack muttered as he and the other guild members rushed outside.

* * *

**Now:**

"Right," Zack mumbled as he hid in a tree, his eyes roved over Corphish's form hiding in the bushes below, unsuspecting of the predator above him. He watched as Corphish quietly gloated over his newly won Joy Seed. He could tell that the water type had taken out Diglett.

Zack's eyes flashed. He would take down Corphish.

For Diglett.

For his friend.

Zack watched as Corphish looked around shifting before slowly making his way for the nearby pool.

The Pikachu struck.

"Hey! Hey! What's big idea?" Corphish demanded, looking for the offender before his eyes landed on Zack who quickly made a run for it while Corphish gave hot pursuit.

"I'll get you Zack, hey! Hey!" Corphish shouted as he fired a bubblebeam at the electric type.

Zack barely dodged them and had started running away when he chanced a glance out of the corner of his eye to see Corphish slowing down.

Zack grinned as he ran off.

Mission Accomplished.

"That Zack," Corphish sighed and then checked himself to make sure he had the treasure.

"Dammit!" Corphish swore when his search turned empty. Yes, Zack had mugged him.

**Meanwhile:**

"Razor Leaf!" Sunflora shouted as several leaves flashed from her petals as she flung them at the now defense Dugtrio.

"Crap," he muttered as he quickly burrowed underground, effectively dodging her razor leaves. What he did not expect was for her to jump in after him.

"Damn, there goes my plan," Dugtrio muttered when he heard her grunting as she climbed her way through his tunnel.

He dodged another set of razor leaves and had an epiphany: he could still bend the ground to his will!

Sweet!

"Dodge this!" Dugtrio smirked as he let loose his secret weapon: a powerful earthquake.

Sunflora didn't stand a chance.

Dugtrio chuckled as he recovered Sunflora's treasure and sent her back to the guild.

Three down. Six to go.

Light heard a bang and scream as she took cover behind a rock overlooking the beach.

She really hoped that no one would find her. Not only did she have no idea of what the hell she was doing, she also didn't like the idea of fighting her friends. Especially Zack.

Still, she wanted to win as much as the rest of the guild members. So she decided to play to her strengths and came up with a plan.

A clever plan.

A brilliantly clever plan.

Light's plan was actually fairly simple: she had used her treasure as a lure and set up an confusion on it so that when her prey was confused, she would sneak and steal the treasure. Sure it may have violated the 'cheap shot' clause but she doubted her victim would remember the experience.

However there was one teensy little flaw with her plan.

What was that?

No one had tried to find her.

Dammit. Back to the drawing board.

Light had started leaving her hiding spot when she heard faint footsteps and a suspiciously familiar voice mumbling vulgarities under his breath.

Rushing to peer over the rock, Light saw a bewildered Loudred tottering around the beach. Now was her chance!

Steeling herself, Light charged in and silently stole Loudred's treasure and recovered her own. Unfortunately, she didn't get very far as Loudred had snapped out of his confusion and was now charging straight at her.

"Oh no," Light panicked, realizing she had to fight.

Light watched as Loudred jumped and tried to stomp her but barely missed. Light coughed as a cloud of sand formed and fogged her vision.

"Right," Light muttered as she attempted to get away but only succeeded in crashing into Loudred.

"Gotcha!" Loudred grinned as he let loose a powerful hyper voice attack that sent Light flying into the rock face.

"Ow," she mumbled as she staggered to her feet. She could still see that Loudred was still dealing with the after effects of her trap and knew that she had to knock him out now.

"Burn," Light whispered as she dashed around Loudred while shooting several ember attacks. She could tell he couldn't take much more and smiled triumphantly when he collapsed, defeated.

Light dragged him back to the guild before smiling to herself. Zack was right, she had strength!

Zack sneezed. He looked around and then mumbled, "Must be allergies or something."

The Pikachu watched on amusement as Bidoof and Croagunk were duking it out. He winced as Croakgunk landed a nasty poison jab in Bidoof's side.

"I'm not givin' up, by golly!" the younger apprentice declared passionately. Zack was inwardly cheering for him.

"Whatever," said Croakgunk, uninterestedly.

Zack winced as he watched the two trade blows and knock each other out.

"Wow," said Zack, taking the two treasures and stowing them away. "That was easy."

Yes, Zack had subtly provoked both parties into fighting each other. How he had done, he wasn't sure. He was sure that it had involved gambling two of the treasures, a risky move to be sure but it seemed to have worked in the end as he dragged them back to the guild.

Six down. Three to go.

Chimecho grimaced. She had yet to get any treasures but managed to deflect anyone who had tried to steal hers. Oh well.

Wait a second. Was that...an earthquake? Chimecho stared at the ground below her and chuckled when she saw Dugtrio trying to attack her.

"I will get you this time!" he declared as he hurled several small rocks at her.

Chimecho giggled as she glided over them. "If that's what you're trying to do then you're doing a pretty crappy job," she told him.

That seemed to provoke the ground type as he started trashing her but to no avail. In fact, Dugtrio ended up knocking himself out and left a confused and pleased Chimecho in his wake.

"Umm...okay," Chimecho mumbled as she recovered Dugtrio's treasures. "I wonder how many guild members are left?"

That question echoed through the minds of the remaining competitors' minds as well.

All three of them knew that there was little time left before the sun set and they had no intention of drawing it out.

With that, Zack, Light, and Chimecho abandoned their hiding places and had decided to go to the most obvious place to settle this: The beach!

"Chimecho!" Zack and Light yelled in unison and then yelled each other's names.

"Zack, Light. You made it out," Chimecho commented. She wasn't sure how she'd fare but she'd give it her best shot.

"Yeah and it looks like we have to fight each other," Zack sighed, clearly not willing to fight them.

"I don't think I can bring myself to fight either of you," Light sighed. Zack and Chimecho sent her sympathetic looks. It was clearly they didn't like this anymore than she did but what choice did they have?

"Why don't we just call it a tie or a team victory?" Zack suggested. At his friends' confused looks, Zack continued. "We don't have enough time to battle each other with the time that we have and the rules never said anything about teams and alliances so it should be okay."

The females were skeptical but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Alright then," Chimecho agreed, "Let's go." The trio headed back to the guild as a team and not as enemies but as a team.

"Where are they?" Chatot asked, glancing out the window for the umpteenth time. "It's almost night time and Chimecho and Team Paradigm have yet to return!"

"Yeah! And I'm hungry!" Loudred and Bidoof declared loudly. Everyone sweatdropped.

"We're back!" Speak of the Darkrai. The rest of the guild members stared at the source of the voice before three familiar figures emerged.

"You're back!"

"Where have you been?"

"Did you get all the treasures?"

These were all stupid questions and the trio merely responded with a deadpan look that silenced the whole guild.

"We decided to present the treasures as a group effort between Light, Zack, and I," Chimecho explained. Chatot made to retort but a look from Wigglytuff silenced him. Zack grinned. Was there any way he could harness this power so he could not have to listen to Chatot talk in that obnoxious voice of his?

Anyway, the survivors were deemed victorious and were led away to the mess hall with cheering friends around them.

Maybe this exercise wasn't so stupid after all.


End file.
